The latest brouhaha over the requirement that voters identify themselves before pulling the lever or marking Xs on a ballot is without merit and frankly borders on lunacy.
Voting is one of the most important activities we, as Americans, can participate in and verifying the identity of would-be voters preserves the integrity of the process.
Otherwise we may just end up following the example of that legendary saying from Chicago: ‘Vote early and vote often!?
The issue of being identified at the voting polls will certainly emerge again during the upcoming Presidential Primaries, and of course the national elections in 2008. That certainly gives the electorate ample time to secure the appropriate documents.
Those who object to being asked for identification must be living in a cloistered environment because one would find it difficult to function in this world without proper ID.
Here are just a few activities that require identification: alcoholic and tobacco purchases; boarding an airline; entrance to a casino; senior discounts at retail stores; check cashing; passport purchase; border crossings; prescription purchases; and the use of a credit card to make a retail purchase.
And, if one were to lose a dry cleaning ticket, identification is required to retrieve your pants.
So if the local dry cleaner requires ID shouldn’t the same requirement be appropriate for voting?
On the other hand, maybe the people complaining about having to produce ID might still have their pants at the dry cleaners and thus voting is the least of their problems!